European Jr. Middleweight champion Kerman Lejarraga scored a brutal one punch ninth round knockout of Jack Flatley to retain his crown on Friday night at the Bilbao Arena in Bilbao, Spain. The champion established that he was the stronger of the two fighters from the outset by dropping the challenger with a stiff jab through the guard in the first round. Flatley got up on very unsteady legs, but the pattern of the fight was set in motion from this point of the bout onward. A pattern that consisted of Lejarraga coming forward throwing and often landing hard thudding punches to the body and head of Flatley that kept the challenger on the defensive. As the fight progressed, Flatley attempted to engage toe to toe with the champion in an effort to turn the ebb and flow of the combat in his favor. Kerman Lejarraga advances to 34-2, with 26 Knockouts. Jack Flatley falls to 17-2-1, with 4 Knockouts.
Flatley would have
periodic success in landing combinations to the head of Lejarraga, but at no
point did Flatley’s punches prevent the champion from coming forward. In round
eight, Flatley was dropped for the second time in the fight with a body shot,
but in round nine Lejarraga landed a brutal right hand to the jaw that knocked
Flatley down and out on the canvas. Flatley went down hard from the straight
right hand and hit the back of his head on the canvas. Flatley remained on the
canvas for a few minutes, but was able to regain his faculties and did leave
the ring under his own power after what was a scary knockout. Official time of
the stoppage was :30 of round nine.
Also on this card:
Undefeated Spanish Super-Middleweight champion Damian
Biacho systematically broke down previously undefeated challenger Guillermo
Rivero to make the first defense of his title via seventh round stoppage.
Biacho allowed Rivero to come forward consistently throughout the bout, but Biacho
would gradually accumulate short shots on the inside that eventually created
openings. In round four, a short left uppercut to the head dropped Rivero. This
would be followed by two knockdowns in round six. First, a combination to the
body and head sent Rivero down for the second time. Then, Biacho would get a
third knockdown in the bout by landing a straight right hand to the body right
as the bell rang to end the sixth round. In round seven, Rivero would be
dropped for the fourth time via a hook to the head, which was preceded by a
combination of uppercuts that sent Rivero down. Although Rivero was very “Game”
and was able to finish the seventh round, at the end of round seven, Rivero’s
corner mercifully stopped the fight to prevent their fighter from further
punishment. Damian Biacho advances to 12-0, with 3 Knockouts. Guillermo Rivero
falls to 8-1-1, with 1 Knockout.
Jr. Welterweight Jonathan Alonso scored a dominant eight
round unanimous decision over Mohamed El Marcouchi. For eight rounds, Alonso had
success in landing his right hand on Marcouchi and as the fight progress, it
appeared at points where he may have been able to get a stoppage of Marcouchi,
but Marcouchi hang in there for all eight rounds. All three judges scored the
bout 80-72 in favor of Alonso. Jonathan Alonso advances to 21-1, with 7
Knockouts. Mohamed El Marcouchi falls to 28-3, with 11 Knockouts.
Lightweight Campbell Hatton, the son of former world
champion Ricky Hatton, scored the first stoppage of his young unbeaten career
by scoring an impressive second round knockout of Attila Csereklye. Hatton hurt
Csereklye with a left hook to the body in the first round and dropped him with
a right hand that landed on the top of the head. In round two, Csereklye was
sent down for a second time with a left hook to the ribcage, Csereklye was able
to get up, but Hatton would not let his opponent off the hook and a now
relentless attack to the body resulted in Csereklye going down for a third time
and this time taking the full ten count while on one knee. Official time of the
stoppage was 2:45 of round one. Campbell Hatton advances to 5-0, with 1
Knockout. Attila Csereklye falls to 10-26, with 8 Knockouts.
Undefeated Flyweight Samuel Carmona scored a first round
stoppage of Luis Padilla. Carmona landed a left hook to the body that set off a
barrage of unanswered blows that forced a referee’s stoppage of the bout, despite
Padilla not going down to the canvas. Official time of the stoppage was 1:30 of
round one. Samuel Carmona advances to 6-0, with 4 Knockouts. Luis Padilla falls to 13-3-2, with 2
Knockouts.
The evening began with unbeaten Middleweight Jhon Obregon
moved to 9-0 in his career by scoring a six round unanimous decision over previously
undefeated Gerome Warburton. Official scores were: 59-55, 59-56, and 59-54 all
in favor of Obregon. Jhon Obregon advances to 9-0, with 4 Knockouts. Gerome
Warburton falls to 8-1-1, with 1 Knockout.
As 2021 winds down, even in the midst of an ongoing
global epidemic, Promoter Eddie Hearn continues to prove that Boxing is a true
global sport as his company Matchroom Sport, continues to expand it’s Boxing
promotional entity into new regions around the world. One of those regions that
has benefited has been Spain, which along with several cards that has been
staged over the last several years has begun to establish new stars in the
sport. Following Sandor Martin’s recent decision victory over Mikey Garcia in
the Jr. Welterweight division, Kerman Lejarraga a two-division European
champion just may be the next star to emerge out of Matchroom’s multiple
promotional branches fighting out of Spain that could see him potentially
challenge for a world championship in 2022. While some may be skeptical of this
observer’s statement, the fact is Boxing in addition to being a sport also has
an entertainment component to it and there is no better way for a fighter to
put himself in the discussion of potential world championship than scoring a
head turning, devastating knockout. Lejarraga accomplished this in his first
defense of the European Jr. Middleweight championship against Jack Flatley.
After previously holding the European champion one weight class below his
current division as a Welterweight, the only level left for Lejarraga is the
world championship level. 2022, just might be the year where he gets an
opportunity to showcase his skills on the highest level in the sport.
“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”
The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau
Denison All Rights Reserved.
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